Sorry I added 6-A-1 first and then realized the mistake, it is correct now. Blair, I put some ideas down for the SEA worksheet change what you want and save it to the page.
Looks good Scott. Not much more to add to the SEA, I'll add my thoughts below.
Scott and Blair, when working with a wiki, discussion should take place in the discussion area. Do you see discussion up next to the word Page? If you click on discussion it will give you space to discuss. Then this page is just for the product that is to be created for the assignment.
Post your SEA Worksheet to your small group's page on the wiki.
Part B:
Review some of the other maps in the series of WWII Military Situation maps.
Use the discussion area for your small group on the wiki to answer the following questions about the series of maps
How can this series of maps be used in the classroom?
The maps can show the students the progress of the troops from the invasion day until almost two months later. The students can see how much effort needs to be put into an invasion to make it succeed for one side. If you had access to a printer that printed the maps a little bigger you could post around room week by week to give the students a better look at how the movements were taking place. (Scott)
The maps also give a great example of the precision in planning that was necessary for the war effort. Although the Germans had superior weaponry, the Allies were able to overcome with very strategic decisions, much like playing the game Risk, as you said Scott. As the name implies, there were serious risks associated with these decisions, and unlike the game, actual human lives were at stake.
What prior information would be necessary for students to use these maps effectively?
Who the forces were on both sides, the country where the invasion was taking place. I also think the students would have to know what type of weapons were available to the fighting forces. One side could not just drop a smart bomb on the other side and win that way. (Scott)
It would be good to have some photos and/or newsreel footage to "watch" the invasion.
It would be important for the students to understand the limited resources the Germans had left. Morale would also be an important thing to consider. When a country is being forced back within its own borders, morale is naturally going to drop a bit. However, this sometimes ignites a stronger defense because people feel they are defending their homes. (make connection with Vietnam) This would be a good class discussion. Maybe even a simulation of an invasion in the home area of the students. What would it be like if the enemy invaded their homeland.
The role of French resistance in the efficacy of the invasion is a factor that does not appear on the maps.
Would you use these maps in your classroom? Why or why not?
Yes I would use the maps in my classroom. I would have students take sides of the invaders and the defenders and take a look at the maps to see if there was anything that they see that might change the outcome. The students might see weaker units in one area and suggest moving more troops to that area. They would have to analyze the maps to greater detail for this to happen and that would get some more creative thinking going. (Scott)
Teaching special education, my students have a hard enough time making sense of maps that are clearly labeled and easy to read! However, I think they could appreciate the amount of planning, and the maps would be neat to look at from a nostalgic point of view. Many of them are into video games, so they might be into it from that perspective.
I probably would not use these maps; I teach English and the curriculum doesn't include a piece of literature to which I could connect these maps. I would, however, keep this resource in mind when my students are doing their research projects. WWII and Vietnam are the two wars that students write about most and many have grandfathers who were at Normandy. These maps would really make the invasion real for them.
Part C:
6. Although maps may be typically thought of as social studies resources, they can be used in other areas as well. On the wiki, brainstorm ideas with your group for using maps in multiple subject areas. Be as creative as you can. Provide links to maps if possible, but you may share ideas even if you can’t find a specific online resource to match the idea.
We use maps for Phys Ed in the area of scavenger hunts. Students are given a map with certain key marks on them and a compass and told to find items on the school grounds. The students get to the area and either a hole puncher with a certain symbol is there to mark their paper or a popsicle stick with a certain number is on it to mark that they have been there. This site is one we use before the students start their unit on orienteering. http://www.learn-orienteering.org/old/lesson2.html It ties in well with what we have them do in the unit. The PE staff usually saves this activity for a field or activity day, so as many as six teachers can monitor the students throughout the course. It would be more difficult for us to use this with less teachers as there are many areas that we could not see without the help of the extra teachers. This works better with middle school. The students with the quickest time usually win a gift certificate from a local business. This is all tied in with the field day and the local businesses donate prizes for the winners in the different activities. There are enough trinkets that each student goes home with something so no feelings are hurt.
The math and science department usually tie in a lesson on map reading and using a compass before this so there is some cross curricular ideas going on with this activity. (Scott)
I know our math department has done some activities with reading the scales on maps and calculating distances and times of travel. For example, if every 3 inches equals 100 miles, how many miles is it from Chicago to Dallas? Or, if you travel from Boston to Los Angeles at an average of 65 miles per hour, how many hours would it take you to get from one point to the other? Teachers could also go as far as to calculate costs of fuel, food, and square and cubic feet for packing. All these things make math more practical than just doing sample problems on a worksheet.
Paper mache in art (just kidding)
Put literature in a "place" and "time". (Trace movement of Ann Frank and her family, trace movements of the boys on the island in Lord of the Flies, map Juana and Kinos' travels in The Pearl)
Interactive maps (like Google Maps and Google Earth and Google Oceans) can be used to see areas in the world virtually...even take field trips virtually. ( If I want to "go" to my son's apartment in Baltimore are can actually "drive" by using the street view and drive up to his house and see Owen's car and see Owen walking out of his apartment toward his car. Spooky, huh?)
Chart movement of characters in a novel or in a historical event
Study maps as works of art, especially the old maps with the illustrations.
Sorry I added 6-A-1 first and then realized the mistake, it is correct now. Blair, I put some ideas down for the SEA worksheet change what you want and save it to the page.
Looks good Scott. Not much more to add to the SEA, I'll add my thoughts below.Scott and Blair, when working with a wiki, discussion should take place in the discussion area. Do you see discussion up next to the word Page? If you click on discussion it will give you space to discuss. Then this page is just for the product that is to be created for the assignment.
The Assignment:
Part A:
Part B:
How can this series of maps be used in the classroom?
What prior information would be necessary for students to use these maps effectively?
Would you use these maps in your classroom? Why or why not?
Part C:
6. Although maps may be typically thought of as social studies resources, they can be used in other areas as well. On the wiki, brainstorm ideas with your group for using maps in multiple subject areas. Be as creative as you can. Provide links to maps if possible, but you may share ideas even if you can’t find a specific online resource to match the idea.